


Not Today

by ineffablebureaucracy



Category: Vikings (TV)
Genre: F/M, Ivar fanfic, Ivar x OC - Freeform, Ivar x OFC, Ivar's Heathen Army, ivar x christian!oc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:41:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29729178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineffablebureaucracy/pseuds/ineffablebureaucracy
Summary: When Ivar takes the throne of Kattegat, Lagertha flees to Wessex along with Björn, Ubbe, Torvi, and the Bishop Heahmund. There, they seek the aid of King Alfred. This aid comes in the form of his sister, Aethelind, who agrees to travel to Kattegat and try to reason Ivar, who she spent some time with during their youth, when her grandfather King Ecbert hosted Ragnar Lothbrok in their castle. Now, she is the only hope for Lagertha and her supporters to retake Kattegat from Ivar the Boneless.
Relationships: Ivar (Vikings)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**801 A.D.**

The Princess Judith had already given birth to two to sons in her life. One of those sons, Prince Alfred, had only been born mere moments ago. The baby boy had been quickly handed off to a midwife, as the Princess had one more child to deliver. Princess Aethelind was born about a half hour after her brother Alfred, and the two were the twin children of Princess Judith, and the priest, Athelstan.

**816 A.D.**

They grew to be quite different in personality, from each other, even if both remained similar to their biological father. Alfred was quiet, and studious, while Aethelind grew more and more ambitious by the day. She came to nearly crave adventure, all the while becoming strong enough to pursue it. Thus, when it finally came for her, the Princess was more than ready for it, happily joining her grandfather, King Ecbert, in welcoming Ragnar Lothbrok, and his son, Ivar the Boneless, to Wessex.

The children got along surprisingly well, considering they didn’t even share a language. Alfred and Aethelind took Ivar into one of the many halls of their castle, and there they invited him to a game of chess. Aethelind played on a team with Ivar, and together they quickly defeated Alfred. This frustrated Alfred, who knew he’d never quite hear the end of it from Aethelind.

Alfred was very busy with his studies, however, which left Aethelind to entertain their guest, Ivar, though neither she nor the Viking boy could complain about this. They had grown to truly enjoy each other’s company. But, as with all things, their time together soon ended.

The news that Ivar was being returned to Kattegat was given to Aethelind during one of her lessons with her mother. She abandoned this lesson immediately, in favor of running down to the courtyard to say goodbye to Ivar. Only Alfred remained there, and he ended up being tasked with giving her even worse news: Ivar had already gone.

Whatever response was expected from Aethelind, no one would have guessed she would run to the stables, take the first horse she could, and ride as fast as the horse would go to the docks where Ivar was just being put on a ship to Kattegat.

Almost in a panic, she called out, “Ivar!” and ran to him.

The two guards holding the crippled boy up were far from prepared enough to stop him from being knocked over by the force of the princess throwing her arms around him. Ivar was likewise stunned by Aethelind’s sudden show of affection, but when he returned her embrace, the guards were further stunned. Aethelind, however, simply buried her face in Ivar’s neck, while his hand came up to stroke her hair.

“I’m going to miss you, Ivar,” she said softly. It was difficult to understand the full of she said, though he did understand his name, spoken so gently, and it gave him a clear idea of what she meant. And though she couldn’t understand his language, she could tell he was returning the sentiment as he spoke, and so she smiled and moved to look at him. Ivar gave her a small smile in return.

Aethelind began to sit up again, and he moved with her, before deciding to try something.

“I will miss you, Aethelind,” he said, and the way she lit up told him he must have gotten it right. He was shocked when she leaned in to kiss his cheek, and then she smiled softly at him once more.

Perhaps it was the startled cry of, “Princess Aethelind!” from one of the guards that made his cheeks turn red, as blood rushed into them, or the way her smile had become almost shy. But whatever it was, he was suddenly acutely aware of the fact he nearly wished he didn’t have to go.

**818 A.D.**

The news of King Aelle’s death came shortly after the news of the death of Ragnar Lothbrok. When she heard about the great Viking’s passing, Aethelind found her thoughts turning more and more to Ivar. Losing a father was something she couldn’t quite grasp, as she’d lost her birth father before she could ever meet him, and still had her legal father, but she wanted so badly to reach out to Ivar in some way, though she had no clue how to do so.

But then the news of King Aelle’s death came, and she was unsurprised to hear grandfather’s death came at the hands of the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok. Perhaps she should have been mourning, like the rest of her family, but she was too glad for Ivar to feel much like truly mourning Aelle. No doubt his death must have been a comfort to Ivar and his family. Add to that the fact that she had never been all that close with her grandfather, and she found that this was a sacrifice she was more than willing to make for Ivar’s happiness. Or, if not his happiness, then at least his peace.

Aethelind didn’t know this at the time, but the Great Heathen Army that had taken the life of the Northumbrian King had turned to Wessex. They blamed her other grandfather, King Ecbert, for having turned Ragnar over to Aelle. When she returned to Wessex, once that army had gone, she was told her grandfather had just been found dead in his bath. No one told her how the Vikings had driven him to his death, had even _been_ to Wessex on that trip. She mourned this death, and so perhaps it was best she didn’t know yet who was responsible. Perhaps it was best she wouldn’t learn of how the sons of Ragnar came to her home, calling for blood. It would only make the years to come all the more complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, and thank you for reading my fic!! I hope to post an update to this weekly, and as such am writing ahead of what I'm posting. Many thanks to my wonderful beta readers, and I hope you all enjoy the ride!
> 
> Skål!  
> ineffablebureaucracy
> 
> A note- this is also crossposted on my tumblr, @the-girl-in-the-box!


	2. Chapter 2

**820 A.D.**

The day Lagertha arrived in Wessex with a few other Vikings, Aethelind had been focusing on her wedding arrangements. As the Princess didn’t want to get married in the slightest, the arrival of the Vikings was a very welcome distraction.

She had been called to her brother’s villa to greet their new… were they guests? Alfred certainly wasn’t seeing them as such, that much she could tell. Her eyes scanned each Viking’s face, looking for one in particular she could recall clearly from her childhood. Seeing that he wasn’t there was... disappointing, to say the least. But, Bishop Heahmund, who she recalled had disappeared with the Vikings for some time, caught her attention when he began to speak.

“Your Majesties, King Alfred and Princess Aethelind,” the dark-haired bishop began. “I would like to introduce my, er… companions, to you.” The twins shared a curious look at Heahmund’s choice of words, but Alfred still nodded.

“You may proceed,” he told Heahmund.

“Thank you, My Liege,” Heahmund replied, and then did exactly that. “First, I have the honor to introduce the Queen Lagertha, of Kattegat.” Both Aethelind and Alfred turned to look at the woman Heahmund had gestured to, and they nodded to her respectfully, only Aethelind wearing a polite smile.

Immediately, she decided Lagertha had to have been the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Her long, white hair fell around her shoulders in thick curls, and whatever strands were not hanging loose, were held up in an elaborate braid. She had kind eyes, too, kinder than most Saxons would have imagined a Viking woman to have. But Aethelind still remembered another Viking with kind eyes, and so the fact Lagertha also had them was less surprising than it must have been for others.

Lagertha herself stepped up once she had been introduced by Heahmund, smiling kindly to both Aethelind and Alfred. “It is an honor to meet you both,” she said, and her smile seemed to grow somehow warmer. “Please, allow me to introduce the rest of my family.”

Before Alfred truly got a chance to respond, Aethelind was answering, “We would be delighted, Your Grace. By all means.”

Lagertha gave Aethelind a gracious nod, then turned to the taller of the two men in her company. He wore his blond hair in long, thick braids down his back, with a beard to match. “This is my first and only son, Björn Ironside,” she introduced, before turning to the other man. This one, Aethelind noticed, was almost the spitting image of Ragnar Lothbrok. If her suspicions were correct, then that would mean…

“This is Björn’s brother, Ubbe Ragnarsson.”

Aethelind was floored, and her eyes widened in shock at the revelation.

“Ragnarsson?” she repeated. She began to grin then. “You must be Ivar’s brother. Tell me, how is he? I haven’t seen him in years, now.”

The air in the room suddenly became thick, and filled with tension as Ubbe realized that _this_ must have been the girl Ivar mentioned, back when their father had first died. He had never given very much detail about her, but Ubbe had gotten the feeling- more than once- that Ivar might have missed her- not that he would have admitted it. But looking at her now, Ubbe could understand easily why Ivar would have missed her.

Aethelind was a beautiful young woman, with dark waves that flowed freely down her back, contrasting with her fair skin and vibrant green eyes. This, with what he had been able to pull out of Ivar about her kindness and generally sweet disposition, had Ubbe convinced this _was_ that same girl, now a woman, that Ivar had known, and that he was entirely right to miss her.

“How do you know Ivar?” Björn questioned, and she turned to answer him. However, before she could speak, Ubbe answered for her.

“This is the girl Ivar mentioned when he returned from Wessex,” he said. “He just failed to mention she was a princess.”

Aethelind smiled softly at Ubbe, and she asked, “He mentioned me?”

“As much as he’s likely to mention anything that’s important to him,” he answered, and Björn scoffed.

“In other words, he made us aware you existed, and the rest was up to us to figure out,” he said.

“I take it he doesn’t open up very easily, does he?” she commented. “How is he, though? Is he well?”

Aethelind didn’t receive an answer, however, as Björn turned to Ubbe and said, “We cannot trust her. She is too close to Ivar. She’ll take his side.”

Ubbe huffed a bit at Björn’s conclusion, and when he next spoke, it was in their native tongue. “ _She probably has no clue what Ivar has done,_ ” he pointed out. “ _And at this point, she may be our best chance at reclaiming Kattegat. Without her help and her brother’s help, we’ll be too busy trying to survive here to make any plans about Kattegat. And even so, their support on the battlefield, if we could get it, would be a great asset._ ”

“ _Ubbe is right,_ ” Lagertha agreed. “ _At the least, we should make her aware of the situation, and our request. Then, it is up to her if she chooses to help, or not._ ”

“ _And if she decides to help Ivar?_ ” Torvi, the younger, blonder woman with a gentle face and large blue eyes, asked. “ _We could end up hurting our chances._ ”

The twins watched as Lagertha put a hand on the other woman’s shoulder, not understanding what she then said. “ _Torvi,_ ” she began. “ _We must trust the gods. If it is their will that we receive aid here, then we will. But, we must trust them enough to trust them with the decision Princess Aethelind and her brother come to._ ”

At the mention of her name, Aethelind and Alfred share a look. What on earth was Lagertha talking about?

Torvi sighed but nodded, choosing to trust Lagertha on this, especially considering she knew Lagertha was right. She moved to stand beside Ubbe, and from the way he put his hand on her back, Aethelind realized he must have been her husband.

With this handled, Lagertha turned back to Aethelind and Alfred, giving them a small smile even as she sighed. “I imagine you have not recently communicated with Ivar, if you are asking how he’s been, yes?” she asked the twins- though, really the question was more for Aethelind. Lagertha didn’t get the feeling Alfred was half so interested in Ivar the Boneless as Aethelind was.

“Yes,” Aethelind confirmed, and smiled sadly. “I wish we could have kept in contact with each other, but… I did not speak his language, and he did not speak mine.” She paused to sigh, and bit her lip as she looked to Lagertha again. “And… I get the feeling you’re about to tell me this is a good thing, aren’t you? That I have not been in contact with him since I last saw him?”

“I am afraid so,” Lagertha answered. “It will make this… easier to hear, I think.” Aethelind regarded her curiously, wondering what she meant. “Ivar has taken Kattegat.” The Princess took this information in, nodding along as Lagertha spoke. “He led a civil war against myself and his brothers. Thousands died in his pursuit of the throne. He is now King, but-”

“My brother is a cruel man,” Ubbe interrupted. “I worry for the people of Kattegat under his leadership.”

“If you can call it that,” Björn scoffed. “He will enslave our people, and treat them like prisoners. We cannot allow this.”

“I don’t understand what you are asking of us,” Alfred said, and Aethelind sighed.

“I believe they are asking for aid, in whatever way we can give it,” she told her brother. Her attention turned to Lagertha, who she found had a rather calming presence. “Is this true?”

“Yes,” Lagertha answered. “Even if you can only offer shelter for one night, it is more than we have now.”

The way Lagertha spoke, Aethelind felt herself wanting desperately to help the displaced Vikings. They had asked for none of this, and though it hurt to hear of Ivar’s involvement in the situation, she knew that what was done was done. All they could do now was figure out where to go from there.

“We will have to think on this,” Alfred told the Vikings. “Until we have a decision, the guards will take you to-”

“My villa,” Aethelind interrupted. “You may be hesitant to help, brother, but I am not. Lagertha, Björn, Ubbe…” She paused, looking to the other woman whose name she had not gotten.

She seemed to understand why Aethelind had stopped, and supplied her name. “Torvi.”

Aethelind nodded sweetly, then continued, “And Torvi.” She took a breath. “You will all have my support. For now, that will be food and shelter. I hope to offer more in the future, but I am afraid this is all I can do at the moment.”

“This is more than we could have hoped for,” Ubbe said. “Thank you for your kindness and your generosity, Your Majesty.”

“I don’t like to see injustice, is all,” she confessed, and swallowed. “No matter who is perpetrating it.”

The Vikings all knew she meant Ivar, and they realized suddenly just how _fortunate_ they had been that she wanted to help, and had wanted to help _them_ , over Ivar. She had no history with them, but with Ivar, she did. Truly, it must have been the gods’ will that she be on their side.

“Still, you have our gratitude,” Ubbe insisted in light of this.

Aethelind smiled to him, and said, “You should rest before we feast tonight. Go. You will be shown to your chambers by our Head of House, and we will see you this evening.” She inclined her head to an older woman, who stepped forward and gestured for the Vikings to follow her, following the command given to her by Aethelind.

Once the Vikings had left the room, Alfred sighed and turned to Aethelind. “Does my authority mean nothing to you?” he questioned her.

The Princess stood firm, and answered with a strong voice, “Not when you were going to make a horrible mistake.”

A tense silence filled the room as the twins challenged each other, maintaining eye contact for far longer than was comfortable for either of them. Eventually, Alfred was the first to break it.

“I have important matters to attend to,” he said, as if that were why he had broken the eye contact. Aethelind’s smug expression proved she didn’t believe him, and so he added, “We will speak more about this later.”

“Of course,” Aethelind agreed, and Alfred huffed. But, he did seem to soften a bit toward her.

“In the meantime,” he began. “Please be careful.”

She smiled softly at him, and took her brother’s hand. “You know I will be,” she replied reassuringly.

Alfred chuckled a little, and confessed, “Sometimes, I think you are truly too good for your _own_ good.”

Truthfully, Alfred had quite the soft spot for beloved twin sister. She was an incredible young woman, and Alfred thought she deserved the world. Of course, they were both close to their older half-brother Aethelred, but Alfred and Aethelind were twins. They had shared a father, one they’d never known, and now, they shared a bond with each other that neither would ever share with anyone else.

Aethelind gave Alfred’s hand an affectionate squeeze. “Get on to your ‘important matters’,” she said playfully. “I love you.”

Alfred chuckled softly and returned the squeeze, answering her, “I love you, too.” He finally left the room, leaving her alone. Aethelind looked to the door the Vikings had left through, and sighed. She had just told Alfred he’d been making the wrong decision, but in trusting Lagertha and her family… she hoped the one who was making the wrong decision wasn’t her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I’m so excited to share the first full chapter of this fic with you all! This is the typical length these chapters will sort of float around, so hopefully the longer chapters will be better for you all than the length of the rather short prologue. As an update, I've already written through Chapter Three, and look forward to sharing another chapter with you next week! If you've enjoyed this, I hope you'll leave a kudos and a comment- they really make my day, and they make sharing my works with you all so much more fun! Just as with last week, this is also cross-posted on my tumblr, @the-girl-in-the-box. See you next week!
> 
> Skål!  
> ineffablebureaucracy


	3. Chapter 3

It hadn’t taken long for Aethelind to go and find the Vikings. She knew her brother would have questions, and if she wanted his support in supporting Lagertha, she was going to need answers for him. Answers that, truthfully, would only come from her Viking guests. Aethelind figured it would be smarter to get those answers before she saw her brother.

Lagertha, Björn, Ubbe, and Torvi were all congregated in Lagertha’s chambers, trying to make a plan concerning Kattegat, when there was a knock on the door. The four looked up, then to each other, sharing a suspicious glance amongst themselves as Lagertha called out, “Who is there?”

"It is Aethelind,” a gentle voice replied, and the Vikings shared a look of relief as Lagertha called for her to enter. It was true that they didn’t trust anyone there in Wessex very much, but watching the way Aethelind came into the room, the idea of trusting her- at least a little- became a bit more bearable. And really, did they have any other choice?

Aethelind offered each of them a warm smile. “I wanted to apologize for my brother,” she began. “He worries for our kingdom, but I believe there is no reason we cannot protect our people, and help our friends. So, I would like to formally welcome you back to the Kingdom of Wessex. It’s an honor to have you here.”

“You are very generous, Princess,” Lagertha replied politely, and stood to go and greet Aethelind properly. “And we are very grateful. You have already done more than we hoped you might.”

Aethelind shook her head, taking Lagertha’s hands in her own. “I cannot begin to imagine what you have been through,” she said. “I’m sure this is quite the _least_ we can do to help, but I promise you, I will speak to my brother about doing more.”

Lagertha squeezed her hands slightly. “Thank you, Your Highness,” she said. “It is true, we have been through… very much, lately.”

“Would you be horribly affronted if I asked you to sort of… elaborate on this for me? Before today, the last I had heard of the sons of Ragnar was that they had killed my grandfather, King Aelle. But now…” She paused, and turned to Björn and Ubbe. “I have two of those sons as guests in my villa. I think it’s time I heard your story.”

Aethelind released Lagertha’s hands and gestured for her to sit once again, before seating herself between Björn and Ubbe. But neither man had the chance to explain before Torvi, Ubbe’s wife, was speaking up.

“You do not hate them for killing your grandfather?” the doe-eyed blonde asked Aethelind, looking across at the woman who had sat on Björn’s other side.

Aethelind’s eyes widened and she felt her cheeks darkening a bit as blood rushed into them at Torvi’s question. “He had a… predisposition to cruelty, and I knew he had killed Ragnar,” she managed. “I suppose I just… understood.”

“And… this had nothing to do with Ivar?” Ubbe asked. Aethelind’s cheeks reddened further, betraying the answer before she could even say anything. She found herself wishing he weren’t so perceptive. “He spoke of you when he returned, as I mentioned before. You must have been close to him.”

Aethelind sighed, and nodded a bit. “I… confess, I did hope my grandfather’s death might bring him some peace,” she admitted.

“Ivar has never had peace,” Björn said. “He is too violent a man for that.”

Aethelind’s brow creased thoughtfully for a few moments, before she shook her head. “He was not violent when I knew him,” she countered. “He was vastly intelligent, I could tell that much without even understanding so much as a word he said. We used to play chess, and we’d play together and beat my brother. But when my brother did win, he was never given to anger. He was always so gentle… How could such a sweet boy have become such a violent man?”

"He was always cruel,” Ubbe said. “Wickedly smart, but cruel all the same. It adds to his violence.”

The look on Aethelind’s face made Torvi’s chest ache, and she turned to whisper to Ubbe, “Let her breathe. This must be quite a shock to hear. We know he’s good at presenting himself however he chooses, and she didn’t exactly know him for very long. Give her a moment.”

Ubbe nodded, and soon all attention was on Aethelind, who took a deep breath and then looked up. “How did you come to be here, then?” she finally asked.

She had expected that Ubbe would be the one to explain, but he didn’t. Instead, it was Lagertha who spoke. “I killed the Queen, Aslaug,” she confessed. “Neither my son, nor any of hers, agreed with what I had done, but they all chose to respond to the change of power in very different ways. Björn, of course, stayed with me, but-”

“I joined Ivar in going to make an attempt on her life,” Ubbe suddenly broke in. “She had killed our mother, after luring myself and our brother, Sigurd, away to keep us from protecting her. Sigurd was unmoved by our mother’s death, but I only gave up on my pursuit of revenge because Björn asked that Ivar and I spare Lagertha.”

“I did not ‘ask’ you not to kill her,” Björn countered. “I told you, you would have to kill me if you wanted to kill my mother. You conceded then, Ivar did not.”

“And where was Ivar?” Aethelind asked. “I can’t imagine he would have just… let his mother be killed, not without at least trying to stop it.”

“He was still here in Wessex, or perhaps on his way home, when our mother was killed,” Ubbe answered her. “He returned with news of our father’s death, only to be given news of our mother’s.”

Aethelind swallowed hard, and asked, “So you, Ivar, and your brother Sigurd all lost both your parents in quick succession?”

"And Hvitserk,” Ubbe added. “Our other brother. He agreed with Sigurd, and took no action against Lagertha.”

Aethelind nodded, going over all the information she had in her head so far. So, Björn, Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd, and Ivar were the sons of Ragnar. Björn was Lagertha’s son, and Ubbe, Hvitserk, Sigurd, and Ivar were Aslaug’s. When Lagertha killed Aslaug, Björn supported her (though he didn’t approve of the action), Hvitserk and Sigurd remained neutral, and Ubbe and Ivar attempted to avenge their mother. Ubbe, however, conceded, while Ivar wouldn’t. This was all _very_ complicated, in her opinion.

With all this straightened out in her mind, Aethelind asked, “So where was Hvitserk, then, if not with Aslaug?”

“In the Mediterranean, with me,” Björn answered. “We all returned to find my mother was the Queen of Kattegat.”

“I see,” Aethelind replied. “And now? Where are he and Sigurd? And Torvi, where were you during all of this?”

An awkward silence fell over the Vikings, and they all looked to each other. Eventually, Torvi told Aethelind, “I was with Lagertha. I am her right hand.”

Aethelind nodded, but the awkwardness had not yet gone away. “And… Sigurd?” she prompted. A feeling of dread settled in her stomach.

“Sigurd is dead,” Ubbe finally answered.

And so, her suspicions were correct. “I’m sorry for your loss,” she said gently. “Did… did he die in this war?”

Ubbe sighed and shook his head. “He provoked Ivar at a feast,” he said. “And Ivar threw an axe. It killed him almost immediately. A few steps, and then…” He gestured in a way as to show someone falling over. “He was dead.”

Aethelind swallowed hard, and let her eyes slip shut. “Good Lord,” she whispered, before her eyes opened again. “I’m so sorry to hear this. I can’t even begin to imagine…”

“We really fell apart then,” Ubbe said. “Hvitserk chose to stay with Ivar in York, and we didn’t see either of them again until they came for Kattegat.”

"We won that battle,” Lagertha interjected then, and Aethelind found her attention being pulled to the woman. “At great cost, but we won.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “And then Ivar joined forces with King Harald Finehair, and Rollo, his uncle, who brought him Frankish support.”

“And… they won,” Aethelind surmised, her voice soft. “Is that when you came here?”

Lagertha nodded, looking to the ground, and Björn put a hand on her back. “Rollo helped us escape Kattegat,” she told Aethelind. “And Heahmund brought us here.”

“I’m glad he did,” Aethelind said definitively. “You’re all safe, now, I can assure you of this. And I _will_ be talking to Alfred. What happened to you… It was wrong. Alfred and I will come up with a plan to help you return home, I’m sure of it. You deserve no less.”

None of the Vikings had expected this response from the Princess. They’d figured out that once, she and Ivar had been close. Or, close enough, at least. Close enough she’d seen fit to quickly ask after him, once realizing the relation, and close enough that Ivar had spoken of her. So to hear her speak in opposition of him…

“What about Ivar?” Torvi asked. Somehow, she couldn’t quite wrap her head around what might could even be called a betrayal of the Boneless King.

Aethelind sighed sadly, and shrugged, shooting a weak smile to Torvi. “I don’t believe he is the same boy I once knew. Whatever happened once he left here… That boy is gone. Isn’t he?”

Ubbe shifted at her question, drawing the room’s attention to him as he leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees, and drew his brows together thoughtfully. “I don’t know,” he eventually confessed. “But if he is not… He is buried beneath years of anger, and pain, and hatred. I have not seen the boy he once was before our father died, and I doubt he will show that side again. I hope something will bring that boy back, I just…” He finally sat up a little, looking to Aethelind. “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Aethelind nodded, swallowing. She turned back to Torvi and asked, “Then what about Ivar? He has changed beyond recognition. My heart aches for the loss of him, but my mind knows I must move forward. No, it isn’t the easiest thing to do. I will mourn the boy I knew. But this new Ivar sounds so different… I’m not even sure I can see him as the same person. And in the end…” She chuckles softly and shrugged. “I only knew him for a few days years ago, anyhow.”

The group chuckled a bit. “You say all this now,” Björn commented. “But you have not faced him yet. It is easy to have such little concern until you are confronted with the issue. We will see if you still feel so unworried about Ivar then.”

Aethelind felt a weight settle in her chest. Björn was right, and she knew it. All this talk was all well and good, but looking in Ivar’s eyes… Would she be ready to stand against him still?

She wasn’t sure she had the answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, a bit of exposition, and now we can really get started on the main plot of this fic! I used this chapter mainly as a refresher to get details straight, and also as some background for any who may read this with no familiarity of Vikings. I also wanted to explore sort of how Aethelind feels hearing what happened in Kattegat, and what Ivar has done, so we can really see how that's going to effect her moving forward. All in all, I hope reading some history we pretty much know wasn't too boring, and I hope you've enjoyed it all the same. New chapter next week! Skål!
> 
> ineffablebureaucracy


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